Samoan tsunami kills two Koreans; one still missing
Published: 01 Oct. 2009, 01:57
A devastating tsunami that overwhelmed American Samoa had claimed the lives of two Koreans by press time yesterday. One other has gone missing.
According to various wire reports, a powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake caused massive tsunami waves that flooded Samoa and American Samoa, killing scores of people. The death toll continued to rise throughout the day, according to local authorities.
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said a 62-year-old man, Lee In-saeng, and a 46-year-old woman, Shin Mi-ja, were killed, while Woo Ga-bi, the nine-year-old daughter of Shin, is missing. Lee served as the head of the local deep sea fishing association and also ran a restaurant. Shin was a housekeeper. Her husband and a second daughter have reportedly survived.
An official at the ministry said Seoul is in close contact with the Korean consulate in Honolulu, Hawaii, the closest Korean diplomatic office to American Samoa. The official denied a Korean television report that four other Koreans are also missing.
The Foreign Ministry has set up a special task force in Seoul and Honolulu and plans to dispatch a consul from Honolulu to American Samoa today. According to the ministry, there were 234 Koreans residing in American Samoa. American Samoa authorities said the quake had a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3 on the Richter scale and struck about 193 kilometers (120 miles) from the U.S. territory.
Four tsunami waves soared up to six meters (20 feet) and surged about over 1.6 kilometers inland, according to local authorities. But the officials otherwise had difficulty determining the exact degree of damage or number of casualties because of power and communications outages.
Faoa A. Sunia, the acting governor of American Samoa, declared a state of emergency, which describes “immense and widespread damage to individual, public and commercial buildings in coastal areas.”
Governor Togiola Tulafono, who was in Honolulu for a conference, said that more victims could be found once rescue workers reached areas that were not immediately accessible by roads. Tulafono said a member of his extended family was among the dead.
The earthquake also generated smaller tsunami waves that hit Japan yesterday. Japan’s Meteorological Agency described the waves as “very weak.” No injuries or damage were reported.
Hawaii and much of the rest of the Pacific were placed under tsunami advisories for a few hours following the earthquake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu warned that sea level changes and strong currents could occur along Hawaii’s coast.
By Yoo Jee-ho [[email protected]]
According to various wire reports, a powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake caused massive tsunami waves that flooded Samoa and American Samoa, killing scores of people. The death toll continued to rise throughout the day, according to local authorities.
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said a 62-year-old man, Lee In-saeng, and a 46-year-old woman, Shin Mi-ja, were killed, while Woo Ga-bi, the nine-year-old daughter of Shin, is missing. Lee served as the head of the local deep sea fishing association and also ran a restaurant. Shin was a housekeeper. Her husband and a second daughter have reportedly survived.
An official at the ministry said Seoul is in close contact with the Korean consulate in Honolulu, Hawaii, the closest Korean diplomatic office to American Samoa. The official denied a Korean television report that four other Koreans are also missing.
The Foreign Ministry has set up a special task force in Seoul and Honolulu and plans to dispatch a consul from Honolulu to American Samoa today. According to the ministry, there were 234 Koreans residing in American Samoa. American Samoa authorities said the quake had a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3 on the Richter scale and struck about 193 kilometers (120 miles) from the U.S. territory.
Four tsunami waves soared up to six meters (20 feet) and surged about over 1.6 kilometers inland, according to local authorities. But the officials otherwise had difficulty determining the exact degree of damage or number of casualties because of power and communications outages.
Faoa A. Sunia, the acting governor of American Samoa, declared a state of emergency, which describes “immense and widespread damage to individual, public and commercial buildings in coastal areas.”
Governor Togiola Tulafono, who was in Honolulu for a conference, said that more victims could be found once rescue workers reached areas that were not immediately accessible by roads. Tulafono said a member of his extended family was among the dead.
The earthquake also generated smaller tsunami waves that hit Japan yesterday. Japan’s Meteorological Agency described the waves as “very weak.” No injuries or damage were reported.
Hawaii and much of the rest of the Pacific were placed under tsunami advisories for a few hours following the earthquake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu warned that sea level changes and strong currents could occur along Hawaii’s coast.
By Yoo Jee-ho [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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